Monday, April 17, 2017

Last of the Doolittle Raiders toasts his comrades

Today:
At age 101, retired Lt. Col. Dick Cole says his memories are vivid of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders mission that helped change the course of World War II. Now the sole survivor of the original 80-member group, he plans to take part in events Monday and Tuesday at the National Museum of the US Air Force near Dayton, Ohio, marking the 75th anniversary of the attack that rallied America and jarred Japan. It will be "a somber affair" when he fulfills the long Raider tradition of toasting those who've died in the past year, using goblets engraved with their names, Cole tells the AP.
Last year when The Queen Of The World and I were in Ohio seeing her Dad, we took a couple hours to visit the Air Force Museum in Dayton.  They had the bottle of Cognac on display there.  It felt eerie, knowing that the final toast was nigh.

Hat tip: Rick, via email.

3 comments:

drjim said...

True heroes!

libertyman said...

Ave atque vale

LindaG said...

We were blessed to have the Greatest Generation then. God bless them.